Seattle Mariners' Ken Griffey Jr. smiles from beneath a pile of teammates who mobbed him after he scored the winning run in the bottom of the 11th inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees in Seattle, Oct. 8, 1995. Griffey was a 13-time All-Star outfielder and ranks fifth on the career home run list with 630.
Seattle Mariner Ken Griffey Jr. launches a long fly ball that brings in Alex Rodriguez with the go ahead and winning run in the sixth inning of Monday's, April 20, 1998 game in Seattle against Kansas City. The Mariners came from behind to win 8-7. Griffey won an MVP award and was an 11-time Gold Glover. The only thing missing on his resume was a trip to the World Series.
Seattle Mariners' Ken Griffey Jr. delivers a sixth inning single against the Minnesota Twins Tuesday, Sept. 15, 1998 in Minneapolis. Griffey became the fourth-youngest player in major league history to reach 1,000 RBIs, and hit his AL-best 52nd homer. Griffey reached the 1,000 career RBI mark in the fourth inning with a bases loaded, two-run single.
Seattle Mariners Ken Griffey Jr. hits a double to left field in the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles in Seattle Monday Sept. 7, 1998. Griffey went on to hit his 49th home run in the fifth inning and his 50th in the sixth. A star from the time he was the overall No. 1 pick in the 1987 draft, Griffey played 22 years in the majors with Seattle, his hometown Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago White Sox.
Seattle Mariners' right fielder Ken Griffey Jr. watches his 53rd homer, a three-run shot, fly out of the Oakland Coliseum in the first inning on Thursday, Sept 17, 1998. Griffey's homer into the right-field stands came off Oakland's Tom Candiotti. Griffey played in 1,685 games with Seattle and hit .292 with 417 homers, most coming in the homer-friendly Kingdome, and 1,216 RBIs.
Seattle Mariners' Ken Griffey Jr. watches his second home run of the game, a solo drive over the right field fence, in the eighth inning against the New York Yankees Sunday, Aug. 30, 1998 at Yankee Stadium in New York. The Mariners beat the Yanks 13-3.
Seattle Mariners' Ken Griffey Jr. doffs his hat to the Kingdome crowd as he is introduced for a pre-game award Friday, Sept. 25, 1998 in Seattle. Griffey matched his career-high home run total of 56 set the previous season and drove in five runs for the Mariners, who won 15-4 over the Rangers. Griffey played in 1,685 games with Seattle and hit .292 with 417 homers, most coming in the homer-friendly Kingdome, and 1,216 RBIs.
Baseball legend Ted Williams, right, is greeted by 1999 All-Stars Ken Griffey Jr., of the Seattle Mariners, left, and Baltimore Orioles' Cal Ripken prior to the All-Star game Tuesday, July 13, 1999 at Boston's Fenway Park.
Ken Griffey Jr. hits his 500th career home run for the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, June 6, 2004.
Baltimore Orioles' Rafael Palmeiro, left, and Sammy Sosa, right, pose with Cincinnati Reds' Ken Griffey Jr. prior to the game, June 11, 2005, in Cincinnati. All three players have more than 500 home runs. During the steroids era, Griffey's name was never linked to performance-enhancing drugs, a rarity among his slugging contemporaries such as Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire.
Cincinnati Reds' Ken Griffey Jr. hits a two-run single against the Philadelphia Phillies in the seventh inning, Wednesday, June 27, 2007, in Philadelphia. The Reds scored six runs in the inning.
Cincinnati Reds' Ken Griffey Jr. hits a two-run home run off Washington Nationals pitcher Levale Speigner in the third inning of a baseball game, Monday, May 21, 2007, in Cincinnati. Catcher Brian Schneider is at right.
Cincinnati Reds' Ken Griffey Jr. waves goodbye to fans as he leaves the field after the eighth inning against the Seattle Mariners Sunday, June 24, 2007, at Safeco Field in Seattle. The three-game series was Griffey's first time back to play in Seattle since he left the Mariners for the Reds. The game was marked by two home runs hit by Griffey, which moved him past Mark McGwire to seventh place in all-time home runs at 584.
National League All-Stars, from left, Jose Reyes, Barry Bonds, Carlos Beltran, Ken Griffey Jr. and David Wright stand at attention during the National Anthem before the 78th Major League Baseball All-Star Game at AT&T Park on July 10, 2007 in San Francisco, California.
Cincinnati Reds' Ken Griffey Jr. and New York Mets catcher Brian Schneider watch his double during the eighth inning of the first game of a baseball doubleheader Saturday, May 10, 2008, at Shea Stadium in New York. The Mets beat the Reds 12-6.
Chicago White Sox' Ken Griffey Jr. smiles at a fan in the stands before a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals in Kansas City, Mo., Aug. 1, 2008.
Fans at Safeco Field cheer Seattle Mariners' Ken Griffey Jr. as he steps to the plate in Seattle in the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, April 14, 2009.
In what was his final at-bat, Seattle Mariners' Ken Griffey Jr. hits into a fielder's choice against the Minnesota Twins in the ninth inning during a baseball game in Seattle, Monday, May 31, 2010.
Seattle Mariners fan Mushkie Davey, of Edmonds, Wash., wipes away a tear as she watches a video tribute to retiring player Ken Griffey Jr. before a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday, June 2, 2010, in Seattle. Griffey announced his retirement earlier in the day.